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Plato
Plato (428/427 or 424/423b – 348/347 BCE) was a philosopher, as well as mathematician, in Classical Greece. He is considered an essential figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition, and he founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with Socrates and his most famous student, Aristotle, Plato laid the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."3 Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, religion and mathematics. His lasting themes include Platonic love, the theory of forms, the five regimes, innate knowledge, among others. His theory of forms launched a unique perspective on abstract objects, and led to a school of thought called Platonism. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts. Tossup Questions # Karl Popper claimed that readers of this man's works fell under his "spell" in The Open Society and its Enemies. This man used a cyclical argument to prove the soul's immortality. A character in one of this man's works calls another a "torpedo fish" and later teaches a slave how to double a square. This thinker wrote of a ring of invisibility to question morality in another work that advocates for rule by "philosopher-kings." For 10 points, name this thinker whose dialogues, like the Phaedo, the Meno, and the Republic, often featured his mentor, Socrates. # An obscure work by this philosopher proposes a "Nocturnal Council" as part of the government of what is to be the "second-best state." This philosopher described his abuses at the hands of a leader he tried to advise in his lengthy Seventh Letter. A work written by this man recounts Epimetheus' distribution of tools to animals rather than men to explain why men must live in communities. Leo Strauss notoriously interpreted much of this philosopher's writing as ironic, rebutting Karl Popper's discussion of this philosopher's "Spell" in The Open Society and Its Enemies. His most famous work discusses the gradual degradation of the "five regimes," denounces the effects of music and poetry, and champions the "philosopher king." For 10 points, name this thinker whose political philosophy can be found in The Republic. # In one of his works, this philosopher used the example of a slave solving a complicated geometry problem to show that certain knowledge is innate, and also explained how the universe was created from a combination of "Sameness", "Difference", and "Existence". Another work by this man describes the Sun as the child of the Form of the Good and uses a (*) parable of a ship to argue for justice as harmony. That work by this author of Meno and Timaeus also posited an ideal city-state governed by philosopher-kings and described chained prisoners observing shadows in its Allegory of the Cave. For ten points, name this Greek philosopher and author of The Republic, a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. # One work written by this person includes a description of a chariot pulled by two horses, one that is noble and one that is not. Another work written by this person claims that people with true knowledge are treated as useless stargazers. This person wrote about a dinner party at which each person gives a speech about the nature of love, including a speech encouraging the guests to be lovers of wisdom. This author of Phaedrus also wrote Symposium and The Republic. Name this ancient Greek philosopher who taught Aristotle and whose dialogues often included his teacher, Socrates. # This man's assertion that the world is made of pure, transcendent ideas accessible to us only through images of them is known as his Theory of Forms. He suggested that the city-state should be ruled by philosopher-kings in a work that also includes the "Allegory of the Cave." For 10 points, name this teacher of Aristotle who wrote The Republic and several other dialogues featuring his mentor, Socrates.